Beautiful Countryside

After attending multiple field trips around the country of Ecuador, we've accumulated a lot of pictures of some breathtaking landscapes. I know I've told you about the mountains, the clouds, the hills, the sky...but as they say "a picture is worth a thousand words." Good news...this post is more pictures and less talking. You're welcome...

Where the Road to El Dorado was

Quito

Pululahua

Mindo 

Mindo

Papallacta 

Papallacta

Papallacta

Papallacta

Teleferiqo 

Teleferiqo

Teleferiqo

On the way to Otavalo

On the way to Otavalo

Otavalo

Otavalo 

Gratefulnesses.

Seeing as it's Thanksgiving I think it's only appropriate, and probably more than expected, that I ought to tell all what it is I'm thankful for this year. I have to say that my list is partially the same as past years, but the gratitude is ever more present. So many moments I have experienced in the last 3 months that have broken my heart, but fortunately there are those little times when it's mended back together, sewn with threads of love and care. It's then that I realize my blessings and cannot express enough gratitude to the heavens for what I have been given. So, without further ado, and in no particular order, I give you my list of thankfulnesses:

• My Babies. The little people who amaze me every day with their Christ-like qualities: forgiveness without reserve, love that sees no faults, and happiness untainted by the sadness of circumstance. They have nothing. They give everything. Because of them, I understand why I am on this earth. Before I met them, I was just moving from day to day, with not much purpose guiding my actions. Now that I know them, I am truly living. 
• My Family. As my Mom told me last night, we are meant to be in families. We long for it, that love that can come only from those whose blood you share...the understanding that comes only from a Mother who has watched you grow from Day 1. The more I move through life, the more I am aware that she really does know me better than I know myself. I am thankful for a Father who teaches me kindness, patience, and hard work. I'm still a work in progress, but he'll never give up on me. Those two people have shown me selfless love that I don't think can ever be replicated. Finally there are my four angels. Bess, Em, Nat, Buddy...my examples in everything. I feel honored just to know you, let alone be your sister. 
• The Capacity to Love. Love has two sides; one that helps you feel infinite happiness, and another that can send you into the deepest sadness. Luckily, the potential smiles are worth the risk of the tears. I will never understand love, as I don't think any of us will. But I do understand a little bit better the power of this mysterious emotion.  It fascinates me that we human beings have the ability to love infinitely. We can love as many people as we want, as much as we want, for as long as we want. Don't ever be scared to love anyone or anything, as terrifying as it can be to let your heart become that vulnerable. We were sent here to love. It's worth it.
• The Gospel of Jesus Christ. Having the last 3 things wouldn't be worth it if I did not know the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The eternal perspective I see from the Gospel makes it possible for me to say goodbye to these children, because I know I'll see them again someday, if not even until heaven. It makes it possible for me to become close with my family because I know we'll be together forever. It makes it possible for me to allow my heart to love, because I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love me infinitely and personally. 

Now, on a lighter note, I have some blessings on my mind that are a bit more trivial. Though trivial, I am extremely thankful for them. This list is going to be long, because I've got a lot on my mind and I'm in the mood to ramble. Here goes nothin.

• Warm blankets
• Sunshine
• Colors
• Modern Family
• My Moshi pillow
• Music in all its forms
• Things that smell good
• Sudoku
• Cheetos
• Ryan Reynolds
• Bonfires w/ roasted mallows
• The Bean Game & Nerts
• Strawberries
• Facebook
• Nick Jonas
• Harry Potter movies
• Socks that match
• My mattress at home
• Cycling classes/treadmills
• Frozen yogurt
• Flowers, particularly daisies
• Clean water
• Skype conversations
• My slippers
• Airplanes
• Tank
• Children
• Cheddar Cheese
• Sunsets. And sunrises.
• Olivia the Pig
• Stupid movies
• Good movies
• Funny movies
• Scriptures
• Mornings
• Tucanos
• People who DON'T hack my email
• Snowball fights
• Making snowmen
• Sledding
• Just snow in general
• Oldies music
• The fact that Christmas is in one month
• Hot tubs/hot springs
• Jungles
• Pie
• Anything banana
• Ecuadorian passion fruit ice cream

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Colors

Our field trip this week was to Otavalo, which is the largest open air market in South America. Ecuador amazed me again. The whole town was stand after stand after stand of clothing, trinkets, instruments, artwork...really everything you could need or want. Great news: I got all my Christmas shopping done! What a relief. Not only is it done, but I've also got some cash to spare. Bargaining is so much fun! My first time bargaining was accompanied with some feelings of not-wanting-to-step-on-toes, so I didn't bargain anything down very far. I've had some practice since then, and let's just say that I was bringing my A game. Those Ecuadorian vendors didn't know what hit 'em.

For lunch we went to a place called the Pie Shop. My life is changed. They sold HUGE pieces of pie for $1.50. Peach, apple, chocolate, lemon...so much variety. I will never have a piece of chocolate pie that compares to the one I tasted that afternoon. It. Was. INCREDIBLE. It would be worth it to drive 2 1/2 hours to Otavalo just to get a chocolate pie for Thanksgiving this week. Actually...I would be willing to walk there to get it. Yummmmm.

My favorite part of Otavalo was the beauty of it all. So many colors. Their culture is so vibrant and happy. Here are some pictures I took throughout the day. Enjoy :).

Kelsey, Me, Stacy, Sara

I had some spare time...

Once or twice a week each volunteer does a night shift at the orphanage. This means spending 4-5 quiet hours in the infant nursery in the middle of the night, drinking an unhealthy amount of Coke and hoping that the radio station plays a lot of American songs. No computers. No ipods. No movies.

At first this wasn't my favorite, as I'm sure you can imagine. Fortunately I'm used to it now, and I actually really enjoy night shifts since I've discovered really great activities that keep me awake. One of these, of course, is reading a good book. Mockingjay kept me wide awake for an entire night shift, as did my 7th time reading Ender's Game. There's my nerdy side...I love that book. Gimme a good science fiction and I am SET. Recently I've entertained myself with Sudoku puzzles for the whole night shift. Time flies surprisingly fast when I've there's a Sudoku to be solved.

Last night I brought a particularly interesting book to night shift, but didn't really have that much faith that it would capture my attention enough to keep me alive, awake, alert, and enthusiastic. I was very wrong. Title: Extraordinary Book of Facts and Bizarre Information.  Literally hundreds and hundreds of random, and admittedly mostly useless facts. I hope this isn't any sort of copyright infringement...I want to share some of the facts that a.) interested me a whole lot, b.) stunned me to a point of sheer disbelief, and c.) almost made me wet my pants laughing.

• You can think 625 thoughts on the caloric energy of one Cheerio. Cool...more energy for thinking AND lower cholesterol all in one delightful bowl of cereal. Who woulda thunk?
• In her films, Shirley Temple always had 56 curls in her hair. 
• The first canned foods appeared in 1810, but the can opener wasn't invented until 1858. Another reason I am so glad that I live nowadays. I spent a good 5 minutes contemplating ways to open a can without a can opener. I got nothing.
• A child laughs about 400 times a day. Adults laugh about 15 times. Olivia Zippi laughs a lot more than both of them combined.
• When glass breaks, the cracks travel faster than 3,000 mph.
• More people die playing golf than any other sport. Leading causes: heart attacks and strokes. Anyone seen The Legend of Bagger Vance? I feel like I recall someone dying from a heart attack on the golf course in that movie.
• The seven Gummi Bears are named Gruffi, Cubbi, Tummi, Zummi, Sunni, Gusto, and Grammi. First of all, Gummi is spelled with an "i." Never knew. Secondly...I wonder which color goes with which name.
• Earth travels through space at 66,600 miles per hour - eight times faster than the speed of a bullet. My lack of sleep as I read this fact led me to envision an astronaut floating in space, just minding his own business. All of a sudden, the earth comes flying out of nowhere and hits him. I felt bad...then realized that there are about 20 things wrong with that picture.
• Arachibutyrophobia: the fear of having peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth. I'm worried that we need a word for this. 
• Every year Harvard University denies admission to an estimated 80% of high school valedictorians who apply. Whatever. You accepted Elle Woods. 

The Best 10.

As I mentioned in my last post, I was recently inspired to blog about my favorite 10 days from my 20 years of life. After some focused remembering, I have come up with that very list. These are the days that left me with the most joy when the night arrived and I closed my eyes to fall sleep. They don’t involve lots of money, extravagant locations, or big groups of people. They are simple. They are happy.  They are special. They are mine.

1.  Zupa’s with Grandpa R.

Grandpa took me to lunch quite frequently during my freshman year at college. On one of these many afternoons with Grandpa, he called me with an idea to go to a new restaurant he’d discovered called “Zupas.” Of course I’ve never heard of it, Grandpa!! um... He bought me a sandwich, soup, and a piece of strawberry cheesecake, then listened to me talk about boys, school, work…anything. The chocolate covered strawberry he got with his meal became mine because he’s diabetic. But actually because they’re my favorite. We went to Costco next, where he bought a big box of both strawberries and grapes, because “he was out.” Mm hmmm. He was sure to get my opinion of which ones looked the most ripe. He drove me back to my dorm, and I went upstairs. Ten minutes later, he called me and told me that the strawberries and grapes were actually for me, but he forgot to give them to me. Even though I knew his plan from the beginning, I played along. Miss you Grandpa. May 25, 2009.

2. A Night at the Ballet.

Mom, Natalie, and I got all dressed up in our nicest outfits, and I think Mom even let us wear lipstick.  It was our big birthday present, because we were both so in love with our ballet classes. We went downtown to the see the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. They did a Native American ballet, the title of which I can’t remember. I bought a black Joffrey Ballet shirt that I still wear to this day, despite how tattered it has become. After that we went to tea at Marshall Fields (?), which was really hot chocolate. We had some left over scones that my Mom encouraged me to give to a homeless woman we saw on the street. I hesitantly did just that. I cried for the woman on the way home, and Mom told me I had made her night better, just by giving her my warm leftover scones.

3. My 6^th Birthday.

This is the birthday I remember the most fondly. I got a big bag of Blow Pops and a new backpack. After we opened presents, Dad and I drove to the church, each of us with a sucker in our mouth, and the backpack in my lap. He kept asking me, “So how old are you today?” “I’m six!” “You’re sick?!?” “No, Dad! I’m six!!” Over and over again. I guess at some point in my life Dad Jokes were funny. When we got to the church, I sat on the stage in the gym watching my Dad play church ball, happily eating sucker after sucker...after sucker...

4. Elizabeth is Home!

Elizabeth came home from her mission in January of 2008.  Since she is my oldest sister, it was hard to have her away from us. Us Zippis weren’t used to being separated. When she came home, I felt whole. My six best friends and I were finally together again.

5. A Morning With Lou Lou.

I took Lou Lou on a field trip to the park. We rode paddle boats, ate cheetos, hid from stray dogs, sipped juice boxes, took cute pictures, and chased birds. We were both so happy. I felt honored to let her experience something I took for granted as a child; simply going to the park to play with someone who loves you more than words can say.

6. Bess and Russ’ Wedding.

One of my heroes got married. And not only that…she got married to a man who would treat her just the way she deserved. They are perfect for each other. That day I understood more fully why I want to get married in the temple, and what I should expect from my marriage someday. On top of everything…I finally got the big brother I’ve never had.

7. Snow Day.

We got a lot of these in Chicago, but somehow this one was special. I think it’s because it was the first time I didn’t cry because I would have rather gone to school. This time, I actually used the lack of school to my advantage. The night before the snow day, Mom was reading us Harry Potter when the phone rang. We all knew that a phone call so late at night and during such a big snow storm could only mean one thing. I remember hitting my head my head on the ceiling as I bounced excitedly on the top bunk. The next morning, we made a giant Mountain Woman (the best breakfast EVER), and went outside to eat it in the igloo we’d made in the snow.

8. Goooooooooooooal!!

8^th grade. Emily was on my soccer team and Dad was the coach. Championship soccer game. We were the gold team. My last year of soccer before I gave it up for dance. We went into double over time, and Emily gave me the assist to score the Golden Goal. Oh yeah. We had a big party with a lot of pizza after.

9. Christmas with the Hot Wheels From Hell.

I understand your confusion…how could that be one of my favorite days? Granted, the Christmas Eve prior was one of the worst days I remember. I spent 5 hours alone in my tiny bedroom putting together a Hot Wheels City so that it would be ready for my little brother on Christmas morning. Little stickers, confusing instructions, missing pieces.  So why was it one of the best days? Because the look on my little brother’s face on Christmas morning was pure joy. He didn’t care about any other presents, and loved the city. The fact that he had no idea I’d put it together almost made it better. He was happy, and that made me happy.

10. Cheetos and Skittles.

Mom took the Big Girls to Grandma and Grandpa R.'s house in Utah, leaving the Little Girls with Dad back in Chicago. Do you know what this means? Naturally, it means that the Little Girls are now allowed to pop in the VHS of Casper, on a school night, in the comfy blue recliner, while eating Cheetos and Skittles for dinner. Ah...that was the life. 

Disclaimer: Some of these memories may be altered or exaggerated in some way. That is not my fault. I blame it on the storytelling genes received from my Father. 

Field Trip!

Today was without a doubt the best day in Ecuador so far. We got to take the oldest kids out of the orphanage and on a field trip. Special special special day! The kids rarely leave the orphanage, so they are always mesmerized with everything they see. It is so much fun to watch. Each volunteer got to pick one child to take on the field trip. I took a little spitfire who is so spunky, really smart, and such a pretty little girl. I honestly had trouble sleeping the night before. I could have sworn it was actually Christmas Eve, excited as I was.

This morning was a bit cloudy, and when we arrived at SVP the kiddies looked so cute in their little jackets. I will add that it wasn't THAT cold. I'd give it a "chilly", but these kids were ready to play in the snow by the looks of their clothes. I scooped my little girl up and we ran out the door, super duper excited for our fun day together. Just me and her.

We went to a nearby park to go paddle boating. The kids LOVE "agua, agua, agua!" so this was the perfect activity for them. I thought my little girl was going to fall out of the boat every time she lunged over to touch the water.  We raced with the other boats and ate fruit loops. Giggles were heard, and Olivia's quads hurt from paddling the boat with a "gordita" on her lap. She's not exactly small for a 2-year-old...

It was so nice to spend the day with just her. I could spoil her all I wanted. I brought her cheetos that she didn't have to share with anyone (although she did anyway).  I got to hold her on my lap without pushing her away because I was giving her too much attention. When she tripped on the sidewalk and cried I cradled her in my arms and comforted her until the tears were all gone. On top of that, I got to take as many pictures as my little heart desired. We're not allowed to do any of this on a normal day at the orphanage.

But today we could. It was a dream come true.

Nick. Joe. Kevin. Sigh...

Last night we went to the Jonas Brothers/Demi-Lovato-Camp-Rock-2:-The-Final-Jam-Tour concert. Hold on, I need to take a breath. Quite a name, isn't it? Now unfortunately for us, Demi checked into rehab yesterday just hours before the concert.  No joke. DAY OF.  That's just our luck! "Can't Back Down" really shouldn't be sung unless Demi is front and center. Just sayin...

We were in every way the perfect (and slightly obsessive) Jo Bros fans. We made t-shirts, watched endless Youtube videos, listened to Jonas and Demi on the way to every orphanage shift, and had a Camp Rock marathon preceding the concert. Some were a little more stalker-ish than others (cough...Amber....cough cough).  Strangers asked to take pictures with us, and I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that, as far as I could tell, no one else incorporated their fanship into their wardrobe. I guess it's not the cool thing to do in Ecuador.

The concert began, and we squealed. We squealed just like the other tens of thousands of little girls in attendance. We danced along with the songs, doing what we could of the actual Camp Rock choreography, which really wasn't much. It sure was fun, even though we probably all looked like fools.

On our way out a woman was selling some posters of Jonas. The moment I laid eyes on that beautiful face of Nick Jonas, I knew I was in love. The fact that it was only $1 really strengthened our relationship. He now resides on the wall right above my bed, where I can gaze and drool as I please.

We left a little bit early to avoid traffic, and I'm VERY glad we did. On the drive home, we were passed by a hearse-like caravan of cars. All of these very nice cars had their hazards on and were driving right to the Marriott. Hmmm....

"OH MY GOSH YOU GUYS THAT'S PROBABLY THE JONAS BROTHERS IN THOSE CARS!!!!!!!!"

Yes. We drove up to the hotel. Poured out of the van. Squealed even more. Hoped they would come out and greet their crazed fans. Got stopped by men with big, scary guns (just hanging on their shoulders, Mom). Decided to back off. Still hoped. Left for the house in complete sadness that the loves of our lives didn't care about us enough to come say hi, give us hugs, and then invite us inside for dinner and pictures. Inconsiderate, although we forgave quite quickly.

 Our shirts looked SO good.

 We played Boggle with our shirts. Go OSSO!

 We. Are. Loco.

 Joe Jonas.

You want to take me to dinner this Friday? 

I'm there. 

I love you, Nick Jonas.